Suddenly and out of  apparently nowhere, Gambia-L is awash with PDOIS/Foroyaa Alumni who it seems are not merely content with beating the old war drums of the PDOIS trio's endless sacrifices, their ideals and all whatnots, this time, we are entertained by the rehearsal of a total complete litany as they continue to heap paean upon paean on the party's stance since the gruesome events of April 10 and 11. Indeed, writer after writer merely stresses the point the Geat Leader, Halifa himself, makes in his missives to the Jammeh since the April murders. They claim there is no credible alternative to the Great Leader sitting in his Churchill's Town HQs penning letters which implore the dictator to have a rethink on his strangle hold on the Gambian people and advocating that elections [even if as their deliverance are being muddled by throw-away threats by the gov't which cast question marks over them ever taking place] and the political process are the only viable options existing to the Gambian people to deal with Jammeh.

To be sure, and indeed, there is measure of truth in this. But this assumes something: That the Gambia is experiencing normalcy. For it is only during normalcy that one can put one's faith in the political process and hope for genuine changes. It is only under a milieu of tolerance, decency, respect for all and the rule of the law can one claim that electoral and political process  is all there is to legally assault a decadent regime. But that is hardly the Gambia we are talking of today. The Gambia today is at best experiencing a stalemate in which we have an incumbent that scorns the political process and the rule of the law has been reduced to sickening joke. How then can one tie one's hands behind your back and assert that only the rule of the law and the exhaustion of the  electoral process only suffices for an end to such stalemate? This is merely akin to a expeditionist travelling to the North Pole circumscribing him/herself to using just an  hot-air balloon as transport when viable means of transport exist in plenitude.

If as these Alumni of PDOIS/Foroyaa are gloating about the success or inevitability of success of the strategy of their party, surely it's about time one takes them to task and ask them to empirically state how the aforesaid strategy has made any concrete difference since the gruesome murders of April 10 and 11. It is time we ask ourselves what is working or practically workable as we struggle with the dictator.

 In my view, apart from being jittery for awhile and throwing up tantrums and the APRC being jettisoned by events at the high seas of political fortunes, virtually little has changed with this gov't. Infact, a degree/measure of "normalcy" is beginning to return within their ranks as the muster the courage to face the world again. The political fortunes might still be in the doldrums, but all Jammeh needs is time and a lethargic opposition that banks all hopes in a failed political process, to weather the storms that still continue to engulf him. One would have thought  that with gruesome murders the magnitude of April 10 and 11, Jammeh  will be all dead and buried by now politically by mass and popular direct action, agitation, sit-ins, civil disobediences, etc, etc. Yet, the failure of the opposition to fully exploit this political capital when Jammeh was at his wobbliest, has seen some sort of life creeping into devil as he ferociously fights back as if it is his last ever fight [which most certainly it his]. Jammeh might still be weakened politically  and personally deliriously psychotic,  but if experience is anything to go by, the impractical, lethargic and complacent response of the opposition is all he needs to spring back to life. Perhaps, all this time, the opposition has failed to grasp two fundamental fundamental moral and political truths here:  That a crack-pot dictatorship like Jammeh's will never surrender power without a tussle; that their constituents have grasped this reality more than, are yearning to be lead in way which the opposition doesn't have the courage to do so as of yet.

In so far as one can guage the political situation in the Gambia , the truth of the matter is that no local political party on the ground has a strategy on it's sleeve or already [being] implemented which has made the slightest dent to political situation back home. This is the moment to take stock after nearly 6 months since the gruesome April murders. A political party that has it's feet steeped firmly in reality and in real people's dilemmas, anxieties and hopes, never fails to assess it's strategies after some period. We have arrived at such a juncture. Let those heaping endless paean on PDOIS come forward and tell us empirically how their strategy has worked since April 10 and 11. Oh, and please we have heard Halifa's and or PDOIS great attributes before. So lets make this a policy/strategy analysis instead of platitudinous attempts at being hagiographers. Over to you gentlemen......

Hamjatta Kanteh